Jefferson City, MO- For the last 148 years, the African American history of Jefferson City cannot be written without Lincoln University being included, and vice versa. Through the years, the university has drawn countless students, faculty and staff to this community who have taken root here and whose families are now part of the tapestry of not only the area directly around the university, but throughout Central Missouri.

A community begins as soon as one steps from your front lawn to that of your neighbors. A sense of community begins when one considers our neighbors when taking action. In respect of the latter, Lincoln University is withdrawing the petition to change the name from the 600 through 1200 blocks of Lafayette Street to University Avenue. We have heard the concerns of the community in terms of the historical and fiscal effects of such a change, so at this time the university will revisit other ways to brand this area as the university corridor, while still maintaining the historical integrity of this vital part of Jefferson City.

Jefferson City, MO- The National Library of MedicineÃ¢ÂÂs traveling exhibit Surviving and Thriving: AIDS, POLITICS, and CULTURE will be on display in Lincoln UniversityÃ¢ÂÂs Inman E. Page Library, 712 Lee Drive, now through Thursday, December 18. A reception will be held on Wednesday, December 10, from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Room 100 Page Library in honor of the exhibit and the social cause.

The six-banner traveling exhibit utilizes a variety of historic photographs, as well as images of pamphlets and other publications. The photos serve as illustrations of how people have responded to HIV/AIDS. The title of the exhibition is from the 1987 book by the same name, written by and for people with AIDS with the message that people can live with AIDS, rather than just die from it.

Surviving and Thriving: AIDS, Politics and Culture tells the story of those who have lived and are living with AIDS, as well as other involved in the national crisis. Exhibition Curator Jennifer Brier says, Ã¢ÂÂCentering the experience of people with AIDS in the exhibition allows us to see how critical they were, and continue to be, in the political and medical fight against HIV/AIDS.Ã¢ÂÂ

Jefferson City, MO- Lincoln University, in cooperation with the United Way of Central Missouri, will screen a film which promotes the power of educating young girls. âGirl Risingâ, is the story of nine girls from various parts of the world who are able to change their lives and the lives of others through education. The screening is scheduled for Monday, November 17, at 6:30 p.m. in Lincoln Universityâs Scruggs University Center Ballroom. Admission is free with a valid student ID, $5 for non-students. Doors to the ballroom will open at 6 p.m.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), some 66 million girls are not receiving education around the globe. Instead of classrooms, many of these girls will be found in arranged marriages, domestic slavery and/or sex trafficking. The 10x10 Campaign works to bring awareness to the issue, while empowering girls, through screenings of âGirl Risingâ and other events.

The Lincoln University Offices of the President and Student Affairs, partnered with the United Way of Central Missouri to bring this important film to the campus and the community. Organizers say while much of the audience takes access to education for granted, the global problem is very real.

âWhile getting into an institution of higher education may seem like a tough road to travel, this is a choice which the young women here at Lincoln University and those in our surrounding community are afforded,â says Tammy Nobles, Director of Student Activities. âIn this space in time, it seems unfathomable that there are parts of the world where education doesnât reach girls, but it is a reality-a reality we must understand and work to change.â

Jefferson City, MO- The Lincoln University International Student Association will hold an Ebola Awareness Kickoff Event on Friday, November 14. The event, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Martin Luther King Hall Thomas D. Pawley Theatre, will feature a panel discussion about the disease, which has killed approximately 5, 000 people in West Africa since March 2014.

Panelists for the event will be Dr. Donald Miller, Infectious Disease Specialist with JCMG; Ian Saxton, Cole County Health Department Environmental Public Health Specialist; Jerome Offord, Lincoln University Chief of Staff and Head of the Lincoln University Emergency Preparedness Committee; Pastor Alain Tanoh, Missionary Field Representative to West Africa and native of Ivory Coast; and Sue Ellen Cooker, Lincoln UniversityÃ¢ÂÂs Miss International, a native of Liberia. The panel will be moderated by Gerald Bascoe, President of the Lincoln University International Student Association.

Fundraising to purchase supplies for those areas of Africa hardest hit by the Ebola crisis will also begin on Friday evening and run through February 2015. Donations will be collected to meet a campus goal of $2,000. ChildFund International has agreed to ship the supplies free of charge.

Jefferson City, MO- The November installment of the Droppin'ÂÂ Knowledge Lecture Series will feature Tim Wise, an anti-racist essayist, author and educator. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18, at 6:30 p.m. in Martin Luther King Hall-Thomas D. Pawley Theatre. Admission to the event is free and open to the public.

Wise, who began his career as Youth Coordinator and Associate Director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Racism and Nazism, now tours the country speaking to students on over 1,000 college and high school campuses. He also speaks to professional institutions on ways to remove racism from within their ranks. Wise'ÂÂs memoir White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, is widely regarded for its depiction of how racism creates privilege for Whites, while negatively impacting persons of color. His five other works, including Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority, have also earned critical acclaimed. His seventh work Culture of Cruelty: How America'ÂÂs Elite Demonize the Poor, Valorize the Rich and Jeopardize the Future, is scheduled for release in early 2015.

The Droppin' Knowledge Lecture Series was developed to bring engaging speakers to the campus and community. The next installment in the series will be offered in January 2015.

The campus lockdown has been lifted. The class schedule will resume as normal. The two subjects in question, Jarell Craig and Marquel Lewis remain at large. These two are considered persons of interest. Please do not try to apprehend these individuals on your own. Anyone with information on their whereabouts, is urged to call LUPD at 573-681-5555.

In the event of a campus lockdown, please remain in your current location. Doors to offices and classrooms should be locked. Please make every attempt to stay indoors. Travel to, from and about campus should be limited.

Two persons of interest have been identified. They are Jarell Craig (pictured left below) and Marquel Lewis (pictured right below). If you know the whereabouts of either of these men, please contact LUPD at 573-681-5555.

The Lincoln University campus is currently on lockdown due to the investigation into the subject who flashed a handgun in front of Dawson Hall earlier today. The lockdown will be in place until further notice.

Jefferson City, MO- Lincoln University students, faculty and staff will walk for peace on Monday, November 10. The walk, which begins at 3 p.m. at Scruggs University Center, 819 Chestnut Street, is a call for peace and safety, particularly in the area surrounding the campus. The route will travel north on Chestnut, turn right onto Dunklin Street and continue to travel east to Clark Avenue. The walkers will then return traveling west on Dunklin Street, before making a left on Walsh Street and a right onto Locust Street. The final leg of the walk will make a left on Dunklin Street to travel west to make another left on Chestnut Street back to Scruggs University Center.

The walk is in response to recent crime in the area, including one in which a student was robbed while walking from a nearby gas station on November 6. Lincoln University President Dr. Kevin Rome says the campus district, including the streets in close proximity to university property, should be a safe zone for students.

âWhether a student lives on campus or commutes, this area is their home. Walking to a convenience store just a few blocks away should not be a scary situation for anyone. I am calling on our student body, faculty, staff and neighbors to take ownership of and protect this area. We must all send a message to the criminals that we are watching and we will report to and cooperate with the proper authorities to ensure those who mean us harm are prosecuted,â says Rome.

Members of the community are invited to join the walk either at the starting point from Scruggs University Center or beginning at their homes for those who live along the route.

Jefferson City, MO- For a second consecutive year, Lincoln University has been recognized for efforts to ensure students complete their college career in Jefferson City, Missouri. The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) recently honored Lincoln with the 1890 Retention Award and the Agriculture Degree Completion Award. The awards were presented to the university for the greatest improvement in retention rates from first-time freshman to sophomore students and for the greatest increase in agriculture bachelorâs degrees graduates between the 2012-2013 and 2013- 2014.

Dr. Kevin D. Rome, President of Lincoln University, says the award acknowledges the universityâs efforts to recruit, retain and graduate students. âStudents are the lifeblood of any university. We are not fulfilling our obligation to our student body or living up to the mission of the university if we are continually filling our classrooms with first-year students,â says Rome. âWe have several programs, including those within the Department of Agriculture, that prove we can be successful in not only keeping students beyond freshman year, but on through to graduation.â

The awards were presented during the 1890 Land-grant Universities Teaching, Research and Innovation Awards program of the APLU Annual Meeting.

NEW LECTURE SERIES BRINGS NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED INTELLECTUAL TO LINCOLN UNIVERSITY

Jefferson City, MO- Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, considered one of the nationâs most influential public intellectuals, will visit the Lincoln University campus on Tuesday, October 28, at 6:30 p.m. in Martin Luther King Hall-Thomas D. Pawley Theatre. His appearance is the first in the Droppinâ Knowledge Lincoln University Lecture Series. Admission to the event is free and open to the public.

Dyson, an author and scholar, has been listed by Ebony magazine as one of the 150 most powerful African Americans. His works, including Reflecting Black: African American Cultural Criticism; Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster; and Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind? have provoked national conversations on race and class. Written in 1994, Dysonâs Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X is considered one of the most important African-American works of the 20th century, while his I May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr. is written to unveil the true radical nature of a man whom most remember or are taught was the ultimate peacemaker.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson is the first speaker in the Droppinâ Knowledge Lincoln University Lecture Series. The series was developed by Lincoln University Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Said Sewell. The series is meant to bring engaging speakers to the campus and community.

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY AND JEFFERSON CITY HIGH SCHOOL JOIN FORCES ON MILITARY LEADERSHIP COURSE

Jefferson City, MO- In a press conference earlier today, Lincoln University and Jefferson City High School officials signed an official Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on a course designed to offer students a glimpse into military life. The Military Leadership Class is offered to junior and senior high school students. The two-month long course, which began on August 14 with the start of the Jefferson City Public SchoolsÃ¢ÂÂ year, will end on October 14. The pilot program is in response to the prohibitive cost of Jefferson City High School offering a Junior ROTC program. The cost of such a program is in excess of nearly $100,000 a year.

There are currently 22 students enrolled in the class, which meets at Jefferson City High School on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and at Lincoln University on Tuesday and Thursday. The course is taught by LTC Ray Ferguson, Lincoln University Professor of Military Science; CPT Terence Staples, Lincoln University Assistant Professor of Military Science; MSG Daniel Murray, Lincoln University Senior Military Science Instructor; and National Guard Captain and Jefferson City High School teacher Charlie Ledgerwood. Class topics include military customs; army leadership; time and stress management; marksmanship (with paintball guns); as well as health and fitness. Students will earn one hour of college credit upon completion of the course.

Ã¢ÂÂOur goal from this is to make them feel comfortable with college life so they will continue their education,Ã¢ÂÂ says Ferguson. Ã¢ÂÂWe answer any questions they may have as far as the military and ROTC. Most importantly, we teach them how to be leaders in any capacity.Ã¢ÂÂ

Lincoln University President Dr. Kevin D. Rome, Sr. says the new partnership draws upon the institutionÃ¢ÂÂs history.

Ã¢ÂÂThe ROTC program is an integral part of our university, particularly as we consider that our founders were veterans of the Civil War. Our founders believed in education for those who sought it and this partnership came about because these students and those who will come after them wanted it,Ã¢ÂÂ adds Rome.

Students enrolled in the course will also be invited to participate in Lincoln University ROTC activities including Blue Tiger Open House, Homecoming events and the push-up squad at home Blue Tiger football games.

Jefferson City, MO- The annual Lincoln University Homecoming Parade will continue to entertain the community in Downtown Jefferson City and the campus district on Saturday, October 18, at 9:30 a.m. This year organizers have planned a new route by moving the starting point of the parade to the intersection of High and Broadway Streets. The parade will travel east on High Street to the Lafayette Street intersection. The parade will then move south on Lafayette Street, ending at Roland.

The tornado warning for Cole County has been extended until 5:45. Please continue to take shelter. Classes scheduled at 5:30 for this evening have been cancelled. Please continue to monitor the current weather situation and keep your safety in mind.

The Lincoln University Police Department has received word of a potential threat on campus. Currently the Lincoln University campus is on lockdown, with no entry or exit currently allowed on the main campus property. Please continue to monitor your email for additional information.